Trepidation
by cricketchick1990
Summary: Fujiwara Takumi had never had any reason to fear these roads, or the speed at which he drove them. At least, not until now...


_I'm sure this is going to look a little familiar. _

_After months of debating whether to continue Standing Strong or not, I have decided to rewrite it. To be honest the old version never made me completely happy and I feel that this new version will be much better seeing as my writing style has matured in my other fandom and I have a better sense of what I expect from a chapter._

_Please note that while this is based on Standing Strong, it is an entirely new fiction. There will be better and more developed characters (who as you will note have last names first when being addressed in full as this is the correct way) and hopefully better dialogue, tension, angst and possible romance as well. Several names of characters will be changed, as will their personas, so please read this as an entirely new fic. _

_I will make it clear now that the chapters will not be immensely long, as the old fiction was - as it has come to the stage in my life where I can simply not cope with such constraints on my time. Especially not with the amount of work I am doing over in the Bleach fandom with my current series._

_Also please note that I am Betaing this myself - as the wonderful **Matsumama** who is currently helping me with my current favourite Cessation doesn't know much about Initial D and I don't want to keep her from her writing too much because I take up enough of her time already. _

_So I hope that you enjoy the first instalment of Trepidation, and that you have the time to leave me a review._

_Thanks so much for your time,_

_cricketchick1990._

**

* * *

Chapter One**

Fujiwara Takumi remembered a time when he used to hate this run.

After all, which normal teenage boy would want to get up before four every morning, in every weather and drive up a _mountain_ to deliver _tofu _of all things?

Now though, the morning delivery was a type of reprieve. Countless hours studying videos, training and racing, all while trying to balance a job and be able to still see Itsuki and the others, made his life hectic. Considering the only fast thing in his life up until the last year or so (and Itsuki had stated that it didn't count Mogi because technically she hadn't been fast with _him_) had been the Eight-Six, it was exhausting.

And Akina was always quiet at this time of day, which suited him to the core. It gave him a chance to relax, to just drive. Sure it was early and he was tired, but there was no oncoming traffic (by now the other companies deliveries were usually well over), no opponents breathing down his neck and no need to do anything but take his time and enjoy the sensations that driving the Eight-Six gave him. Not that it stopped him from keeping the over-speed warning bell on during most of the journey though, despite the falling snow and the gathering drifts.

It was weird, seeing how he hated this very car not so long ago and only drove it because he had to. Now it seemed that he couldn't wait to get into it, especially after a week of nightmarish journeys in the Impreza - who he still couldn't understand fully. He was lucky he wasn't driving it tonight because his old man had wanted to make more modifications to the Subaru - most likely to make it harder for him next time he drove the damn thing - and had let him drive the Eight-Six for once. He didn't understand it really; he had enough trouble trying to _get _the Subaru as it was without his damn father making more changes to it.

There was a reason why he now liked driving the Eight-Six - and it certainly wasn't because it stuck like glue to the road and refused to spin.

Takumi sighed, turning the wheel casually and watching the water in the cup swirl accordingly as he drifted through a corner, the front bumper mere centimetres away from the guardrail. A small smile played across his face for a brief second as the wheels of the Eight-Six churned though the snow and he shifted gear as they approached the next turn - already able to see the lights of the hotel reflecting off of the lake.

This was what driving should have always been like.

**XXX**

Miyazaki Koichi had never really been a morning person. Sure, he could cope with his usual seven o'clock starts at the factory a few kilometres away from his new apartment in Takasaki (which he had bought shortly after his foster sister moved back into their parents home). But now that the factory had closed down and he had taken a job in Gunma - the heavy vehicle license he had only passed a month ago in hand - he found he had needed to get up well before three this morning to make it to work in time for the four o'clock delivery to Akina's main hotel. And after a night of restless sleep at the premise of a new job he was hardly in the right state of mind to be driving by himself on his first day in a brand new, powerful and completely unfamiliar (yet incredibly cool) Isuzu cab-over.

Not to mention it had started snowing shortly after he had left the yard and he'd forgotten his chains. In any other circumstance he would have turned around and picked them up, but in all honesty the other men had told him that his dispatcher was an arsehole and he really didn't want to get on his bad side straight away. Not to mention he was only a few kilometres from the base of the mountain when he had realised they were missing and he was expected at the hotel soon.

Besides, he was enjoying driving in the snow, and didn't really want to turn back now. He hadn't realised just how quiet it was at this time of the morning and the thickening blanket of powder on the roads made it all the more serene - the only noises entering the cab coming from the engine beneath his feet and the slight crackling his radio was emitting. And the cab felt steady beneath him, so obviously the snow wasn't bad enough to reduce the traction too much.

Shifting gears as he reached the base of the mountain he turned his attention away from the road to check the time, swearing as he realised that at this rate he would be late for the delivery. He glanced at his side mirrors to check for police as he accelerated above the speed limit and vaguely noted the snow gathering on the heavy curtains of his truck and trailer - most likely making the whole unit rear-heavy. It was something that the other workers had warned him about and he cursed again as he realised he'd have to stop and unhook the trailer from the tractor unit so that he could make it up the mountain. It was a good thing he'd had the sense to load this delivery in the front.

With a sigh he flicked his hazard lights on and shifted down so that he could pull up in the car park at the base of Akina, shivering as he left the engine idling and jumped out of the cab. Crunching his way towards the trailer he made a mental note that one of the curtains was loose, another thing that he'd have to take care of before he left. At least it had stopped snowing, but now he was definitely going to be late.

_Shit_.

**XXX**

It hadn't taken him long to make it all the way up the mountain and as he pulled up at the back entrance to the hotel he noticed that it had stopped snowing. A thick band of cloud still covered the mountain though so it was most likely going to start again soon and despite being happy about driving the Eight-Six today, he really wasn't in the mood to still be unloading tofu when it did.

With a sigh he left the engine running so that the heater could keep the car warm and popped the boot, taking two trays out and making his way up the gravel path leading to the kitchen door. He left them on the step and knocked on the heavy metal surface before turning back to the car to get the last two trays. By the time he got back the trays for tomorrows delivery would be ready to go, and he could set about going home and getting some sleep before work.

Yawning widely as he picked up the empty trays left outside the kitchen door and dropped them into the boot of the Eight-Six before slamming down the lid and stepping through the snow towards the front of the car. Sliding into the warm seat Takumi swore slightly under his breath as the seatbelt rested limply against his chest, realising that he had forgotten to tighten the loose bolt securing it to the seat after the excitement of last night's race. Seeing as he had nothing to fix the bolt with he settled for tightening the straps as much as he could, before sighing again and pressing down gently on the clutch, letting the Eight-Six roll slowly out of the snow covered car park.

It was time to go home.

**XXX**

Trailer unhooked and curtains secured, Koichi jumped back into the cab of the Isuzu and threw his soaked high visibility jacket on the seat beside him as he put the truck in gear. It was now just after four, which meant he was now over half an hour late.

_Double Shit._

He was going to be in a whole lot of trouble for this.

Taking off up the mountain he tapped his fingers impatiently against the wheel as the truck ground up the hill, sighing loudly as he continuously changed gears to accommodate for the corners automatically.

He blinked as a sign suddenly appeared from his left, signalling the start of the hairpins he had been told Akina was famous for and shifted gear again, wondering vaguely why he couldn't see anything ahead of him before realising that it had started snowing again. He took the first two hairpins at a crawl as he fumbled for the switch for his window wipers, not realising he was drifting into the opposite lane.

Koichi swore when he missed it the first time, cursing the unfamiliarity of the truck and leant back in his seat so he could see where the damn thing was, reaching for it but hitting the switch for his headlights on the way and sending the road ahead of him into darkness for several moments before he recollected his thoughts and reached out again to turn them back on.

He never got that far. He barely registered the sound of an engine that was not the one below him echoing through the pass and a flash of light across the snow before something smashed into the front of the cab, jerking him back in his seat and sending the truck into a precarious spin across the icy road.

He could only watch helplessly as the object - _a car _- slid past him as he grabbed the wheel and slammed his foot on the brake. There was a second jolt as the car hit the end of the truck with a terrible screeching noise and a back tire blew - sending the twenty tonne load on a direct course for the cliffs.

He raised his arms above his head in defence, and braced himself for the crash.

**XXX**

With the building snow, the gutters that he used so often to propel the Eight-Six at a rapid pace around Akina's famous five hairpins had all but disappeared - so he had to resort to the more 'conventional' method of taking the corners at high speed.

Drifting.

Months ago Takumi had only known it as going fast around a corner to save time, but hours spent with the Project D team had not only refined his technique, but allowed him to actually place a name to the action. Of course, he didn't know as much about it as the Takahashi brothers did - he never would - but at least he wasn't completely gormless when discussing driving with Itsuki and the others now. Though admittedly, they still did most of the talking.

With a tired sigh he positioned the Eight-Six for the first three hairpins, sliding through them easily and automatically setting up for the next one. Testing himself - he kept his speed high and turned into it sharper than he had before, headlights trained firmly on the solid rock bordering the road. The engine of the Eight Six revved high as he pressed down on the accelerator, drowning out any other noise on the pass.

He never saw it coming.

There was the sound of crumpling metal at his back, the unfamiliar yet unmistakeable feeling of losing control, a jolt that sent the Eight-Six spinning across the snow and pain, searing pain _everywhere _as the loose bolt on his seatbelt gave way and he was thrown forward into the steering wheel. He bounced back into his seat with a strangled gasp - catching sight of the cliffs coming closer and closer and suddenly realising that there was nothing he could do to stop this. _Nothing_.

There was impact, and then all was silent.

* * *

_Well there it is. The completed first chapter of Trepidation. I hope you enjoyed and have the time to review!_


End file.
